Riding the Changing Winds
by Aurialis
Summary: As part of her witch training, Maka must live on her own with her familiar. Eager to prove her bravery, she chooses a little town in Germany, where all kinds of different (and dangerous) creatures live. A tale of travel and friendship, spotted with trials of both the emotional and physical variety, from finding housing to close friends who may be more than they seem. T for battles.
1. Chapter 1

Heyo! This is my entry for Resbang 2015 and it was cowritten with the wonderful senwe. Hope ya'll like it!

* * *

"Do you have everything you need?"

"Of course Mother, I double checked," Maka answered dutifully, fighting down the urge to fidget from excitement.

"Toothbrush, clothes, money, spellbook, everything?" the woman asked anyway, expression solemn as she brushed non-existent dust off Maka's indigo dress. At the girl's nod, Kami sighed and led the way outside.

"You're finally here, thank goodness. Your weird father keeps looking at me funny," hissed Soul, leaping from his perch on the counter to the top of the bag slung over Maka's shoulder.

She shushed him instead, warning her familiar to stay quiet and somber to match the gravity of the ceremony. Soul rolled his eyes but stayed silent, mostly relieved to not have to be alone in the same room as Spirit anymore. He was further pushed into sitting up straight and attempting to look regal by Kami's frown, though the scowl never quite left his face. The quartet stepped into the night air, the wet scent of spring only making the pair more excited, though Maka hid it much better. Sitting on her broom, freshly made that morning, Maka glanced back at her parents one more time, her father wearing an embarrassingly sappy expression, while Kami's face was borderline formal. Maka took in one last deep breath and kicked off, shooting into the air.

All the tears and goodbyes had been exchanged yesterday, and despite her goal of having the most proper departure possible, Maka couldn't help but wish someone would crack a smile. Or, more accurately, someone she could stand, Maka revised, hearing her father start to howl far below.

"Good riddance, I'm not missing him," snorted Soul, glancing back. At the look she shot him, the cat raised his eyebrow and remarked snarkily, "Oh sorry, am I not allowed to talk yet? I'll just sit here and keep my trap shut then."

"Are you sure you know how?" his witch muttered darkly under her breath, startled as she heard her name. Looking down, she saw some of her friends on the ground far below, racing to keep up with the broom.

"Good luck and have fun Maka!" called Tsugumi, nearly tripped over her own feet as she raced down the path, Anya and Meme right behind her. "You can do it!" Grinning, Maka waved to them, the trio falling behind as the broom pulled ahead.

"Thank you," the witch yelled, a bright smile on her face as she and Soul flew into the distance.

"Where are we going again?" he asked after a moment or two, licking his paw lazily.

"Munich, Germany, remember?" sighed Maka. "You know, you're my familiar, shouldn't you at least try to remember stuff like this?"

"Why bother when I know you will?" Soul replied, smirking as he observed the fields below fade into water. "Lucky you live near the coast, huh? We won't need to fly as far."

"Don't you mean 'we live near the coast'?"

"Nah, I just go wherever the wind takes me," drawled Soul, curling up against Maka's side, only his claws, sunken deep into the bag's fabric, betraying his fear of falling.

"More like wherever your stomach takes you," snickered Maka, ignoring his annoyed glare and letting the moment fade into silence.

Stars twinkled far above, diamonds among the black satin sky and gauzy clouds. As the pair flew over the channel between Northern Ireland and Scotland, Soul questioned randomly, "Why Germany anyway?"

"I learned German in school, so it makes sense," Maka answered, shrugging as she leaned forward on the broom and increased their speed. "It's also more dangerous and tricky there, since there are more werewolves and vampires and other, unrespectable types - that way I'd really be proving myself during my trial."

Soul shot her a strange look, but remained silent and chose to focus on hanging on in the increasing wind. "Some would avoid Germany, thinking that," he grumbled, "but no, my witch wants to go to the hard places."

"You know you love me," Maka retorted, chuckling at his complaining.

As they flew further away from the coast, the turbulence increased enough that Maka had to concentrate solely on flying. After Soul's constant badgering, she slowed down too, which made controlling the broom significantly easier, thankfully.

"If you fall now we'll drown."

"We're not going to drown, Soul."

"Yeah, you're right. We'll be eaten by sharks!"

"Soul."

"Or get hypothermia from the cold water."

"Soul."

"Get picked up by pirates."

"Soul."

"What?"

"Be quiet." The sheer coldness with which Maka said it silenced the grumpy cat.

…..

"Steve!"

"Becky!"

Maka sat up with alarm when the voices from the next room finally filtered through her dreams, bewildered as to what was going on. Slowly, she recognized the dark room - Soul and she had stopped at a motel at four in the morning after flying for four hours. Groaning, the girl dragged a hand through her messy hair, glancing fondly at the cat curled up on the other pillow as she counted out how far behind they were. She had planned to fly for six hours, but at the end of four she was listing and Soul had insisted on stopping for the night, lest they crash. Looking at the grimy clock on the bedside table, Maka gasped loudly from horror.

"Soul! It's three in the afternoon!"

"Wha-" he asked, waking up slowly while Maka jumped out of bed. By the time he was fully alert, she had pushed everything back into her bag and pulled her hair up into pigtails, as well as gotten dressed.

"Come on, we slept for eleven hours. Now we're going to be even more behind!" explained Maka, putting him on top of her bag and grabbing the broom on the way out as strange noises starting emanating from the room next door.

"Humans who sleep grow more," Soul drawled. "Either way, I wouldn't want to stay and listen to that."

"Soul!"

"What? We were both thinking it."

"That doesn't mean you have to say it," scolded Maka as they walked out the door of the trashy motel.

"No, don't pull out your wallet, we'll get mugged," Soul hissed as she started to open the bag.

Nodding, Maka waited until they had gotten to the better-looking part of town to pull out her money. As she counted it, her face darkened with annoyance. "I can't believe we only have this much left," she grumbled under her breath, slowing to a standstill.

"Are we going to die? Are we poor? Are we going to die poor?"

"No, we're not going to die," groaned Maka, tired of his constant worrying and exaggeration. "Look, we have enough money for breakfast… Ugh, it's not even lunch anymore." Shaking her head as if to chase away the gloomy thoughts, Maka forced a smile and said optimistically, "We have money for an early dinner and another cheap night at a motel. So we'll eat and then fly again for another four hours. We'll stop around then, stay the night, and then work all day tomorrow. That should help us make up for the money we spent here. What do you think, Soul?"

Silence greeted her question, pulling Maka up short. "Soul? Soul, where are you?" she called worriedly, seeing he was gone from his perch on top of her bag. Spinning around, Maka ran back down the street, searching for her white cat. "Soul!" When the witch saw him sitting in front of a fish stall, ruby eyes pleadingly wide as he gazed up at the uncomfortable vendor adoringly, Maka scowled furiously. "Soul, don't do that! It's not fair," she scolded him, picking him up and holding him tightly as she marched back up the street after apologizing to the seller.

"But Maka," he whined, "I'm hungry and you've got no money and it's not like I was using magic!"

"Still," sighed Maka, "It's not fair when you use your cuteness against them."

She could practically feel him smirking, even though his face was hidden from her. "So you think I'm cute?"

"Really Soul? You're a cat. You guys are universally cute."

Soul pouted and grumbled under his breath, his tail tapping her arm as he whipped it through the air in agitation.

Shaking her head, Maka gently stroked his back. "You're adorable, don't worry." His tail curled around her arm and Soul seemed to relax, leaning against her more as she carried him.

…

The wind raked its fingers through Maka's pigtails as she leaned low over her broom, aiming for the town below. Flying once around the clock tower, the witch landed on a random roof, surveying the people below. "What do you think of it, Soul?"

He shrugged and said, "Could be worse. Doesn't look like anything special, at any rate. Do you think you'll be able to find work here?"

"It can't be too hard to sell some potions or fix some things for cheap," answered Maka, scanning the city. "Oh look! Someone has a broken fence," she exclaimed, hopping back onto her broom and shooting down. The pair flew around buildings, the thrill of it bringing a smile to both of their faces. As Maka soared up from under an arch to orient herself, she realized that she had no idea where the person had gone. All the lights from the buildings and storefronts made it difficult to see much of anything down below, and the endless noise from the cars and trams wasn't helping. "Where did she go?" Maka whispered, trailing off as the chaos started to become overwhelming.

A gentle pair of paws kneaded her side, drawing her gaze to Soul. "Look, there's a hotel down there," he said, pointing with his tail. "We can stay here tomorrow and work, ok? The only jobs you'd find now are probably the unsavory kind anyway."

Nodding, but still disappointed, Maka dropped down beside the place he had pointed out. It was small, but what she could see through the windows and glass door seemed very warm and welcoming. Yellow light spilled out onto the street as she stepped inside, a small bell signaling her entrance. A pair of green armchairs and small couch were scattered across the lobby, matched by pale mint curtains. Glancing down, Maka could see her reflection in the polished wooden floors. She looked pale and worried, and Soul's drooping tail and half-closed eyes belied his tiredness and hunger.

"Can I help you dear?"

Maka flinched with surprise, but turned and smiled slightly at the kind-faced woman behind the counter. "Yes, are there any rooms available?"

Her eyebrows rose, but she remained mostly neutral and said, "Yes, we do. How long will you be staying for?"

"I will be staying two nights," Maka answered, watching as the woman rang up the price and handed over the keys.

"We serve a complimentary breakfast and if you need anything, just ask me or whoever is behind the counter," the woman said gently, her slight frown as Maka turned away showing her concern for the young girl.

"You should've just told her you were with me," sighed Soul quietly as they walked out of the lobby and into their corridor, catching the woman's look.

"Then she'd think I'm insane as well as alone," Maka said, opening the door to her room. "Come on, let's just go to sleep."

Catching the tail ends of her mood, Soul quieted down and curled up on the second pillow like always while Maka cleaned herself up in the bathroom. By the time she came out, his breaths were even and slow, though just a little too heavy to be truly convincing.

Lying in the darkness, Maka curled up on her side, almost nose to nose with Soul, his expression nevertheless hidden from her by his tail. "Hey, Soul?"

"Yeah?"

"Do you think we'll be alright?"

Silence stretched out painfully, the small size of the room crowding in on Maka as her thoughts bounced around worriedly. "We'll be fine," Soul drawled, tailing lifting so he could see her. "Don't worry, your brain and my cuteness will get us through anything."

Chuckling, she smiled at him and stroked the top of his head. "Thank you, Soul."

"No problem, Tiny. Now let me sleep." Rolling her eyes at his insistence to have the last word, Maka got comfortable in the nice bed and fell asleep quickly, her worries at least slightly soothed.


	2. Chapter 2

"Maka."

A pause, filled to the brim with stoic silence from his witch. Noise pressed in on them, a mixture of chatter, animal cries, and other market sounds.

"Maka."

"Maka."

"Maka."

"What?" she demanded, fed up with his incessant repetition of her name. "What, Soul?"

Rolling his eyes at her waspishness, Soul questioned, "You do realize we're not getting any customers, right? And that most of these people think-"

"Hello!" Maka greeted chirpily, beaming at the older woman who walked up to them, pushing Soul behind her to muffle his complaining. "Anything I can do for you?"

The old woman peered up at her through squinted eyes and asked doggedly, "How much would it cost for you to give me a potion that takes away my arthritis?"

Soul noticed Maka's confidence wavering a touch at the open suspicion, but the witch refused to show it. "Only ten pounds ma'am. And it won't take it away permanently, but the potion will clear it up for a couple days."

She continued to stare at Maka intently, never blinking. Soul sensed Maka trying not to fidget, adamant at not showing nervousness. With sudden, jerky movements, the woman reached into the depths of her shawl and removed a couple coins. Grabbing the small bottle from the witch, the pale blue liquid inside sloshing around, she handed over the money, piercing black eyes narrowed the whole time.

As she walked away, back hunched, Maka and Soul exchanged wide-eyed, rattled glances. To his amusement, Soul spotted the woman drinking the potion like it was whiskey, with fast, furtive swigs. With a surprised gasp, she straightened up and her painfully slow gait eased into faster lope. The old lady turned around and practically ran back to Maka. "How many of those do you have? Are you going to be staying here permanently?"

After explaining that she was only going to be in the town for the day, Maka ended up selling all of her arthritis potions and making almost twohundred pounds. Word of mouth seemed to spread after that, and she ended up spending the rest of the afternoon making more potions on her portable burner and cauldron and doing other odd spells. For a while Soul stood in front and navigated the line, waving forward one person at a time to keep things organized. However, the crowd increased to the point where the danger of being stepped on was very real and he ended up sitting in Maka's bag while she dealt with the crowd via border spells.

When they got home, the pair was significantly richer than before and Maka slept with a smile on her face for the first time since they started. At least one of the burdens of traveling alone had been taken off her shoulders, if only temporarily.

…..

The next day passed with a blur of flying and working whenever they could squeeze time in, though by the time they landed on the second day, Soul put his paw down and refused to allow Maka to work.

"Soul, if you refuse to fly anymore today then we could at least earn some more money for when we actually get to Germany."

"No. You will sleep, because you're about to fall over and how am I supposed to deal with a fainting witch? I'm a cat, in case you haven't noticed."

"Soul, I'm not going to faint."

"Sleep, Maka."

"Lazy bum."

"Workaholic."

Maka threw her hands in the air with frustration. "Fine, whiner." Soul just smirked in response, ignoring the insult.

…...

"No."

"Maka, be reas-"

"I am being reasonable. We are not," here she lowered her voice to a hiss, determined to not announce Soul's idea to the entire harbor and get them arrested, "Stowing away! We'll get caught. And deported. And then we'll never get to Germany."

"Maka, you're about to drop, so we're not flying across the Channel. We'll both drown if you try. We can't buy a ticket because firstly, I'm probably not allowed, and secondly, we have no money from food and hotel expenses and stuff."

"If you didn't whine about fish every day we would have money," Maka growled angrily.

"And if you didn't need ridiculously nice hotels we would have money," he snidely retorted, not even deigning to look at her. "Besides, if you want to make more money, you have to buy more supplies for potions. Which you need money for. And we're already behind schedule as it is."

"You-" The witch bit off her words before she drew any more attention from the passerby. "Being logical doesn't suit you," she said, opening her bag and letting Soul hop inside. Rolling his eyes, he slunk down between the clothes as Maka jogged away from the wharf and disappeared down a dark alley. She quickly drew a chalk circle and filled in the symbols required. Soul slunk into the middle, waiting for her to activate the magic so they could teleport. To his surprise, his witch followed after him.

"You're doing both of us at once?"

"It's less risky, even if it takes more energy," Maka answered, shrugging as she kneeled down, her hands resting on the now-white stone. "I'll have to rest for a bit when we get there, but at least it's not teleporting to Germany." Before Soul could reply, a sudden wind surrounded them and soon the sounds of people embarking and saying their farewell turned into a soft humming and motors working.

"Where are we?" He tried peeking through the zipper to no avail.

"I think it's the engine room." Maka whispered, looking around. A dim green light lighted the area and they seemed to be in a labyrinth of pipes and machines.

"I hope you are not planning on staying here the whole time."

"Of course not–" Maka shut up after hearing a loud bang, accompanied by footsteps. Cursing under her breath she took the bag and run behind one of the machines. Holding her luggage close to herself she peeked out the corner and saw one of the staff members busying himself with a control panel.

Ever so slowly she got out from her hiding place, making her way to the door the guy came from and sighing deeply with relief once she realized it took them to a common area of the ferry.

From the bag came Soul's voice, "I thought we were going to be caught there for a second."

"As optimistic as always. Now shush, people can't know we're here until we reach land again."

…

"Uuuugh, that was too long." Soul stretched on the sidewalk while Maka waited for him to stop complaining.

"It wasn't even five hours, Soul. And I bet you spent them sleeping anyway."

"I am personally offended about that comment." He jumped on top of the bag again, as Maka lead the way. "And we should find a place to stay the night."

"Yeah. You are right. On the hotels I mean. At least for now. And don't you ever say a thing about it!" she warned, knowing the shit-eating grin that adorned the cat's face. "Anyway, there has to be some around."

It took them a bit of wandering around, but in the end they managed to find an affordable hotel that seemed safe enough - even if they were going to be living in a country as dangerous as Germany, what with all the different kinds of strange creatures, Maka refused to die before even settling on a city there.

…

"I can't believe you are actually making me do this."

"Yeah, yeah, but we can't really go to Germany without stopping in Amsterdam." For once Soul was positively excited, perched on her shoulders and looking down eagerly, waiting for the city to appear before them. He had said it was just because he needed to stretch, but it didn't fool Maka.

"Actually we could."

"No we couldn't."

"Yes, we really could."

"Blasphemy. Slander. Lies," Soul hissed angrily, his whiskers tickling her cheeks as he turned around to climb back down to the bag. "I can't believe you, of all people, are my witch."

Rolling her eyes, Maka didn't deign to answer.

…..

"Ok, this is enough."

"But Makaaaaaa. We have barely seen a thing." At her foot, Soul tried pulling every trick he knew, his eyes becoming big and watery.

"You know that doesn't work. And you've had me running all over the city to check the buildings!" Seeing the cat open his mouth again to protest, she cut in. "We can always come to visit another time. Weren't you the one who said we had to save money? We can't really do that if we spend it all here." Maka shoved what was left of her sandwich in her mouth. "So as soon as you finish that fish we'll continue."

Soul noticed the firmness or her voice and didn't try to convince her otherwise, but took his sweet time finishing his meal. The moment he took the last bite Maka grabbed him from the neck and shoved him into the bag, ignoring his protests. Settling on the broom, she stomped on the floor, rising and finally continuing their trip.

Soul didn't say a word, still mourning not being able to stay more time in the city, but by the time they arrived to Bocholt and found a place to stay the night his mood had improved. Although that could have been caused by the fish Maka got him for dinner.

…

"Remind me to kill the weatherman as soon as I can." Maka said gritting her teeth as she gripped the broom as hard as she could.

"Let's work first on getting alive out of here and later on homicides." Soul sat perched on her shoulder, trying, as best as he could, to guide her through the torrential rain.

It had come from out of nowhere, a sudden wind forcing them out of their path and gathering the clouds around them. It certainly was a miracle they were still in one piece.

"There! There's some kind of house. At three o'clock, about half a mile away." Pointing the broom down, Maka began their descent. Everything was going smoothly, or as smooth as it could given the weather, when a strong gust of wind started from the right.

"Crosswind!" It was too strong to fight it, so Maka held onto the broom with one hand, clutching Soul with the other so he didn't fly away. A sudden hit on her side informed Maka that they had landed. "Are you ok, Soul?"

"Yeah. You?"

She hummed in affirmation, feeling around to make sure their belongings hadn't been stripped from them. Backpack checked, broom checked, Soul checked. "I hit my side, but I don't think I broke anything."

"We should kept moving. Not good to stay out in a storm." Maka nodded and got up. Ever so slowly, with Soul guiding her, they made their way to the distant building.

As the pair got closer and the building's outline became clearer, they realized it was some kind of barn; but there was no home around it, according to Soul, so it must have been abandoned long ago. Either way, it was a shelter and they only they had at hand.

It was almost a blessing being able to walk through the broken door and hide inside the old walls.

"I just hope it doesn't fall on us." Maka smiled weakly at Soul's comment, but truth was the creaking and slight tilt of the building did seem dangerously unstable.

Sitting on a relatively dry corner, Maka took out a blanket and wrapped them around them. Sleep seemed impossible, but at some point the storm subsided, and Soul's warmth and the smell of wet earth lulled her to sleep.

Morning found her in the same position she had fallen asleep, and Maka's muscles protested at the recent abuse. All traces of the storm had disappeared, and instead, a shining sun greeted them. It seemed like it almost mocked them.

A change of clothes later ("Ew, the shirt sticks to me.") and they were up in the air again. "Do you seen anything resembling a city around?" Maka asked Soul as they kept ascending, trying to get more vision. The storm had completely blown them off course and the pair had no idea where they were nor where to go. Maka guided the broom into the chill air, the scent of wet earth and grass following them until they were level with the birds. Fields stretched for kilometers in every direction, a patchwork quilt of various shades of green, yellow, and brown, dotted with small copses of trees.

Soul didn't bother to comment - the sight, while beautiful in of itself, was not what they needed, and the two didn't have the time to take view. Not while they were lost who-knows-where.

"I guess we'll just have to pick a direction and go that way," sighed the witch, glancing up towards the sun. "If it rose there… then that'll be south," she muttered to herself, gesturing with one hand while the other gripped the broom. "And since we were in the northern area earlier, going there's our best bet."

The crops below melted into each other as Maka sped up the broom, wheat the color of liquid sunshine and burnished gold flowing into emerald pastures shining with dew. Squinting against the wind Soul grumbled to himself, noticing as Maka's eyes watered and her cheeks glimmered in the sun, "We need to get you a pair of goggles or something. Some for me too, for that matter."

"If we make it out of here alive, I'll make sure to remember that," she answered dryly.

"Stop!"

The sudden shout and immediate slowing of her broom nearly sent both of them over flying over the front end. "What?" she demanded, looking in the direction of Soul's snow-white paw, pointing down at the ground to her left.

"A human!"

"So?"

"Ask for directions! I thought you were supposed to be the smart one!"

"You don't need to scare me half to death just for that," Maka yelled at him as they descended. "You nearly got us both killed!"

"It wasn't my fault you stopped the broom so suddenly!"

"Are you a witch?"

Maka looked up at the new voice, staring at the wizened old man for a second before answering. "Oh, sorry. Yes, I'm a witch. I was wondering if you knew where the nearest city was?"

"Got lost in the storm?"

"Yes, sir."

With a small smile, he pointed over his shoulder towards the hills. "That way, miss. Have a good flight!"

"Thanks!" called Maka, kicking off from the ground and shooting into the air, Soul's loud caterwauling chasing after them as they streaked through the skies. "Come on, we're almost at a city!"

"You realize we still have to travel even more if you want to get to Munich, right?"

"Don't remind me," Maka groaned, eagerness falling away into the fields below, lost among the endless crops. "We're already so far behind schedule. Mother's really going to be disappointed."

"First of all, we're only a couple days behind. Secondly, you set an estimate way too high for yourself considering you've only flown short distances before. And we could always stay at this city. It should still be dangerous enough for a crazy like you," argued Soul, earning a smile.

"You can be pretty great, you know that?"

"I'm always awesome for your information," he retorted, smirking as Maka laughed.

"Sure you are."

As they passed the crest of the hills, the pair's jaws dropped. "It's beautiful!" Maka gasped, Soul nodding in silent agreement. Trees faded away to reveal a city of brown and white stone with dark roofs surrounding both sides of a shimmering, crystal blue river. A dark brown bell tower speared upwards into the heavens between two elegant metal bridges.

"Still want to keep going?" asked Soul, praying she said no.

"I think we can stay," the witch answered, grinning as they got closer and the city grew more detailed.


	3. Chapter 3

"Hey! Little girl! You're a witch aren't you?"

At the demand, Maka whirled around, surprise gracing her features in the form of wide and a furrowed brow. Soul's fur began prickling against her hand as she heard him hiss warningly.

"What if I was?" Maka questioned politely, looking at the woman who was walking up to her and the two men behind her. Black eyes complimented dark, muscled skin and numerous tiny braids swung around her shoulders as she walked. All in all, she would have been quite pretty if it wasn't for the furious snarl marring her face. The pair of men's disposition didn't seem to be any better, though they hung back a bit, seeming to trust the woman to lead.

"We'd have to teach you a lesson in respect. You can't go walking around acting like you own the place," the woman said, smirking broadly and cracking her knuckles.

Maka started to protest but had to leap out of the way of a large fist aimed at her stomach. Dancing back and nearly tripping over the uneven cobblestones, her eyes widened with realization when she saw the claws and fur growing from the woman's fingers and skin. "You're a werewolf then?"

The few passerby there had been had long since disappeared, unwilling to get involved in the confrontation. Maka moved into a ready stance, fingers splayed and tense.

"What are you doing?" whispered Soul into her ear, climbing up to perch on Maka's shoulder.

"They know the terrain and are faster - there is no way I can run. Flying's not a good idea with all these powerlines, and who knows what those men are. The best I can do is try to fight," she growled, not taking her eyes off the thugs.

"You've barely practiced word spells!"

"Does it look like we have a choice? Get in the bag and find some chalk," ordered Maka. "Then run!"

"No, I'm not leaving you," Soul growled, slipping down into her bag. The woman suddenly leapt at them, claws outstretched.

Maka dodged to the side and yelled, "Lior!" Fire burst out of her fingers and sprang towards the woman, earning a shriek of surprise.

One of the huge men moved towards Maka, while the other ran to the woman. By then Soul had passed the witch her chalk and she had drawn a small symbol on the cobblestones. The ground under her flew into the air, disintegrating as she went and peppering the trio with stones. Leaping off the last bit of it, Maka jumped onto a roof, screaming all the way. Just barely keeping her balance, she glanced down at the street cautiously.

One of the men had grown wings and his skin had become gray and rock-like, while the other was as pale as snow and bared sharp fangs. A gargoyle and a vampire then. The gargoyle pushed off, wings flapping heavily as he shot through the air towards Maka. Unable to move from her precarious position on the steep roof without falling, she crouched and prayed he'd miss. Suddenly, there was a loud thud and the sound of claws scraping on stone. The blonde's eyes widened as she watched a blue-furred werewolf fighting furiously with the gargoyle.

"WHY ARE YOU SO HARD TO HURT?" he shouted, panting heavily as he jumped back for a moment.

"Why are you fighting us? She's the witch!" demanded the vampire furiously. "Enemy of an enemy is my friend and all?"

"Idiots! I'm the strongest one around, why wouldn't you want to fight me? Oh wait, because you'll lose. Nevermind," the younger werewolf answered, grinning ferally.

"What an idiot," grumbled Maka, making her way to the edge of the roof where there was a drain pipe that she could use to slide down. "There's no way he'll win."

"Dunno about that, he seems to be doing alright," muttered Soul, peering around her arm. Maka glanced back and her jaw dropped open in shock.

The werewolf had clambered onto the gargoyle's back and seemed to be trying to get him in a choke hold as the larger man tried to throw him off with his wings. Reaching back, the gargoyle pulled the blue werewolf off and threw him to the ground, other arm pulled back to punch him. The werewolf caught himself and landed on his feet, darting around the punch and hitting the gargoyle in the stomach.

"That all you've got kid?" the gargoyle laughed, brushing off the punch like it was nothing and kicked the werewolf away. He slammed into a building, cracking the stone and mortar and groaning with pain as he struggled to stand. The gargoyle shook his head and began walking towards Maka. "You're the one we want."

To the witch's shock, a girl materialized in front of her with a long, thin sword in hand. "Leave us alone," she ordered, pointing it at the gargoyle, her voice tight with anger.

"Tsubaki!" called the small werewolf, beaming at her. "My greatest follower!"

"Follower?" Maka repeated with confusion, exchanging a bewildered glance with Soul.

The girl - Tsubaki - blinked and the anger seemed to vanish from her expression, replaced with concern and worry. "You have to stop getting into fights, BlackStar!" she pleaded, running over and helping him up.

"I have to protect my followers!"

"We've never even met him before," muttered Soul, earning a small smile from Maka.

Out of the corner of her eye, she saw the trio complaining to each other bitterly as they walked away. "Too much trouble now," was one of the phrases that floated to her ears, accompanied by an annoyed glance.

"So who are you guys anyway?" BlackStar asked, beaming at the pair.

"You don't even know their names…" groaned Tsubaki, one hand pressed against her forehead. Shaking her head as if to clear out the disappointed thoughts, she said, "Hello, my name is Tsubaki, and this is BlackStar. I apologize for any trouble he may have caused."

Hiding her confusion at their oddness, Maka smiled brightly and introduced herself and Soul. "We're from Ireland. Part of witch training is traveling on your own for a while when you become fourteen so you can get more practice and such. We got here a few days ago."

"Isn't Ireland part of the United-"

"No. It is not," hissed Maka slowly, frustration starting to creep into her voice instantly. Soul just shook his head at the two as a warning not to ask questions.

"Sorry, my mistake," apologized Tsubaki sincerely. "Have you found a place to stay yet?"

Maka and Soul's faces became downcast immediately as they looked at each other sadly. "No. We were here looking for work and maybe a room, but that doesn't seem like a good idea anymore."

"I know a place!" yelled BlackStar suddenly as he stood up fully again, frightening Maka into jumping back a bit and making it obvious just how empty the street still was. He beamed at the two and grabbed Maka's wrist, dragging her along behind him with Tsubaki as Soul held on to her shoulder for dear life. "I can't let two of my followers wander around helplessly!"

"Helpless?" growled Soul indignantly, bristling angrily.

"Followers?" Maka repeated in bewilderment, looking at Tsubaki with confusion.

"He calls all his friends that and himself a god," she explained quietly, blushing from secondhand embarrassment as she ran alongside Maka to keep up with BlackStar.

Soul and Maka exchanged another but shrugged - traveling had given both a higher tolerance for strangeness. The maze of streets BlackStar dragged them through all looked the same, but Tsubaki seemed to know where they were going so Maka didn't worry too much. She seemed like the more sane of the pair, though if she was friends with BlackStar, that couldn't mean too much.

They eventually stopped in front of a small bakery, though the darkness inside implied that it had already closed. "I thought you said we were going to a place to stay?" Maka questioned as he banged on the door impatiently, looking like he was about to shatter the glass.

"BlackStar! You can't just impose on them!" Tsubaki scolded him, pulling the werewolf away from the bakery, growing angrier when she saw the miniscule cracks webbing across the glass window in the door. "And now you've cracked their door! You-"

"What's he done this time?" a bored voice drawled, drawing the teenagers' and cat's gazes to the man who had appeared behind them.

"Ah, Professor Stein!" Tsubaki squeaked, burning red as she tried to shift to hide the door. "Hello! How are you?"

"Did I hear you say he cracked Marie's door? And who are these two?" he asked, gesturing with his chin towards Maka and Soul, one hand turning the large screw sticking through his head.

Maka blanched at the scrutiny, trying not to stare at how the stitch-scars on his moved every time he spoke. Soul held no such compulsions, and openly watched the man with suspicion.

Shaking his head disappointedly, Professor Stein moved around Tsubaki and placed his palm on the cracked window pane. A glow emanated from his palm and lightning-like magic sparked across the surface, leaving the glass in better shape than before BlackStar had cracked it.

"You're an alchemist!" gasped Maka, a smile lighting up her face as she examined the glass curiously. "I've always wanted to meet one! How did you do that?"

"You're a nerd," BlackStar commented with surprise and slight disgust, earning a ferocious glare from the witch.

"Says the glorified dog," she hissed in annoyance, earning guffawed laughter from Soul as BlackStar's face morphed into anger.

"What'd you say?" he hollered, about to leap at Maka before Tsubaki held him back. "Do you wanna repeat that?"

"Did you bring them here just to show me how you're improved in picking fights?" the alchemist asked in annoyance. "Contrary to you apparently, I have things to do, BlackStar."

"No!" gasped Tsubaki, still holding the werewolf back as she answered Professor Stein. "Maka and Soul need a place to stay and I think he remembered how you were talking about Marie needing help and you having an attic."

"Would've been nice if he could've explained that to us," Soul muttered, earning a pinch from his witch.

"Is that so?" asked Professor Stein, eyebrow raised as he pulled out a key and unlocked the door to the bakery, leading the way inside. Walking around the counter, he leaned around the corner that led to the back of the bakery. "Marie?"

"Hm?"

"How did you not hear all that ruckus?"

"There's always something going on," a tired voice answered, a shrug visible in the very intonation. Around the corner appeared a blonde woman with an eyepatch, clad in black and yellow, the exhaustion on her face fleeing at the sight of the visitors. "That was you, BlackStar? I'm sorry, I would've let you all in if I had known it was you. And who are your friends? They're so cute!"

"Not now Soul," Maka hissed to the cat, knowing he would be bristling at the insinuation that he was in any way not absolutely terrifying every single moment of the day.

"What are your names?" the woman questioned, her name presumably Marie, as she practically bounced up to the Irish duo. "How did you meet BlackStar and Tsubaki? Why are you here?"

Stepping back a bit from the sheer force of her enthusiasm, Maka answered for the both of them, "I'm Maka, a witch, and Soul's my familiar. BlackStar and Tsubaki… er, helped us out a little while ago and that's how we met them. And now we're here, and I'm not really sure why, to be quite honest."

BlackStar grinned at Maka and gave her a thumbs up before stealing all the attention by announcing, "My followers need a place to stay!"

Shaking her head at his bluntness, Tsubaki added, "I'm sorry for his rudeness - BlackStar can be inconsiderate and we don't mean to impose-"

"That's a wonderful idea!" Marie exclaimed happily, interrupting Tsubaki's stream of apologies. Maka's jaw dropped at the sincerity in the woman's words. "I could use some help around here anyway. Does that sound fair to you two?"

"Are you serious?" asked Soul, bewildered by the generous offer.

"Why not?" Professor Stein's words were quiet and cool, accompanied by a shrug that indicated he couldn't care less, but something about the kind look in his eye indicated there was a bit more to it than that.

"Thank you so much, that sounds great," stammered Maka from surprise, trying not to grin too much from relief and happiness, Tsubaki's exclamation drawing her gaze.

"BlackStar! We have to get to work, come on!" she yelped, dragging him out the door after her, an apology tossed over her shoulder.

Silence grew in their wake, the awkwardness expressing itself in Maka's shifting from foot to foot and her eyes darting all over in a search for something to talk about while Soul leaned against her leg comfortingly.

"Well, I have to continue working, see you all later," Professor Stein said, eyes half closed as he stepped through the door and walked around to some place out of view of the bakery.

"How about I get you two a drink?" Marie offered, smiling brightly at the nervous pair as she led the way to the back. After a moment's hesitation, Maka followed, calmness pooling in her stomach as she listened to the woman's chatter. Apparently, Professor Stein was conducting research for a university in Munich while Marie, a bumblebee fairy, ran the bakery. "So is this part of the witch ritual I've heard about?"

"Which ritual?" muttered Soul out of the side of his mouth as he lapped at the bowl of milk Marie had given him, the grin on his face clearly indicating which word he meant and why.

"He has an affliction, the kind where you think you're hilarious because of your puns, which of course can't be true," Maka stage-whispered to Marie, earning a beleaguered glare but smiling nonetheless at Marie's laughter. It was bright and bubbly and bone-warming, the kind that just made you feel like you were welcome and wanted. "But yes, this is part of that. The ritual, if it can really be called that, is basically a witch and her familiar, if she has one, traveling somewhere else to settle down and make their own way in life. It's also when most witches figure out their specialty."

"Specialty?"

"Mhm. Most witches can do lots of different types of magic, but prefer or are best in one specific area. It's almost like how when you're little you get taught everything, but if you get a secondary education, most people decide to focus on one subject."

Marie nodded, expression thoughtful, before she asked in concern, "Are you sure you're not too young to travel alone?"

"Even if she was, there's nothing on Earth that would get Maka to admit it," Soul answered before she could, smirking at the witch's annoyance. "Besides, she has me. I'm Maka's familiar, and that basically means my job is to protect and advise her, as well as help with any spells if I can."

"Protect, maybe. Advise, not in a million years," Maka snickered, rolling her eyes at his glare.

"How did you two meet?" Marie questioned as she stirred her coffee, smiling lightly at the almost-but-not-fully-bickering pair.

Maka brightened at the question, a smirk crossing her face as Soul seemed to panic. "Well, I was in town one day and there were lots of kids crowding around a corner. When I finally managed to get to the front of the small crowd, there was this overgrown furball scared out of his wits because of all the people."

"Yeah yeah, there's nothing else really. She figured out I could talk and then we became familiar and witch, etc. etc.," Soul quickly interjected to try to spare himself any more embarrassment.

Marie nodded thoughtfully, her mind seeming to go elsewhere for a moment. "So, what kind of work can you do Maka? I mean, since you're gonna be traveling, you're going to need money. I'm happy to let you live and eat here for free, but what if you decide to travel some more? Maybe you could do some general handy-man type work?"

"Would you really do that for us?" Maka gasped in shock, eyes wide and the woman's kindness.

"Sure, just help me out every once in awhile, alright? Babies aren't easy to carry," Marie answered brightly, beaming at the surprised pair.

"Thank you so much!" they chorused, Maka getting up and hugging the surprised woman tightly as Soul wound around her ankles.


	4. Chapter 4

The oven door closed with a loud noise and Marie focused again on the tray of bread. The heat emanating from it made her whole face red as she walked to the entrance of the bakery, a little lump of witch in training awaiting her there. Paying extra attention to the hot tray, Marie laid it on the counter, turning to face Maka. "Is everything alright, Maka?"

"I haven't received a single job since arriving here." Maka tapped her finger on the counter, watching it with her cheek pressed against the surface. "I mean, even when I was travelling I managed to get a few jobs here and there, and the moment I settle for a city, poof, no one wants my help."

"Starting a business is hard. It's only normal that at first you don't get any customers. What do you say we go to the market and give some pamphlets after I'm done baking the next batch? Franken can take care of the shop meanwhile."

Before Maka could reply, the door opened and a teenager burst in. "Is this where the witch is?"

"Uh, yeah." Maka eyed him wearily. His chest was heaving, and his golden eyes scanned her quickly before practically throwing himself at her.

"Please, please, please, I'm begging you, I need your help."

"Uh, I'll do what I can."

"Excellent!" The boy grabbed her hands and soon they were out of the shop and running through the streets.

The boy led them (Maka barely had time, but in a quick look back realized that Soul was following them) through what she assumed was the worst part of town. The streets were narrow and sinuous and all seemed to be connected. Maka soon realized she wasn't going to be able to return through the same way on her own.

After a while the boy slowed his pace from running to quick walking, which Maka was grateful for, it had been a while since she had to run for a long period and she was sure her legs were going to be sore the next morning.

Kneeling for a moment to catch Soul, she looked at the guy. "Not trying to be rude, but who are you?"

"Sorry, I guess I forgot in the hurry." At least he looked ashamed about it. "My name is Kid, and I'd like to use your services to help me with my home."

"What's the matter with–" There was something off in the corner of her eye. Turning her head she realized that at the end of the alley they were passing were a couple floating figures.

"Ghosts, huh? It's weird, I hadn't seen any around here for a while."

It was an instant, but Maka locked eyes with one of them, the taller one. She had an eerie aura, which was pretty much given with any ghost, but her eyes were what shook her. They were cold, calculating and sent shivers down her back. Her mouth went dry and she forgot where she was going for a second.

When Kid talked she jumped, and realized that she had completely forgotten about him for a second. "By the way, I'm a necromancer, and I really need your help making my home symmetrical, " he said, face twitching in pain at the thought.

It was an odd request to say the least. But after the drought they have been through, Maka was willing to accept almost any job.

"Okay! Let's do this!" Her steps were more confident now. How was she even going to manage making a house symmetrical could wait for later.

At some point the neighbourhood changed, and the houses became more elegant, ost of them with exquisite gardens and big fences surrounding them.

Kid stopped right in front of a rather macabre one. Skulls designs and ornaments could be found everywhere, along with candles of all kinds and sizes. Red, black, and white were the predominant colours, and made Maka feel as if she had just entered a mortuary. But what could she expect from a necromancer's home? Strangely enough, everything seemed to be symmetrical, at least on the outside. A path divided the property right in the middle, leading to the main door with a doorknob in the center.

The work would be on the inside then, if there was any. As they stepped across the threshold, Maka noted how the strange color pattern and design was a clear reflection of the outside.

Despite the mess that Maka had expected by Kid's words, it was a rather pleasant place. The furniture was mostly old, apparently brought from all around the world and arranged in a rather chaotic way, but it was in impeccable condition.

It was obvious that the house didn"t need no rearrangement so Maka turned to Kid expectantly. "Well... What do you exactly want me to do?"

"We can start taking that sofa and putting it over there." He pointed over to one big, probably heavy, sofa, that was in the middle of the living room. "That way if we put that other small one over there and a small table next to it it will be almost symmetrical."

Maka's eyes widened a bit, and she shared a look with Soul, who decided the best way of action was to curl up in the bag.

….

She would die before admitting it, but Maka was a bit out of breath by the time Kid suggested taking a break. After the whole living room was set to his standards they moved onto the different halls and rooms and were currently working on one of the studies (because apparently they had three).

She eagerly accepted the offer to move onto the kitchen and have some snacks before continuing working.

With a warm cup of hot chocolate in front of her and Soul on her lap she allowed herself to relax for a bit, leaning into the humeante cup.

"I realized I didn't ask before. How long have you been here?" asked Kid from the other side of the table.

"Not long. It's only been a few weeks."

"And you already have a place to stay?"

"Yeah, a werewolf helped us with that. Weird guy."

To her surprise Kid chuckled. "You'll find lots like that in this city."

"So it seems."

"I'm guessing you are here for your witch training?"

"Yup! I was hoping to practice making potions for daily life issues, but it's hard to find the ingredients needed." She slumped onto the cup, the memory of a couple days ago still fresh in her mind.

It was a sunny day, and Maka had decided she was going to get some ingredients she was lacking. Perhaps she could do another potion for arthritis and sell them around. Maybe even a few more, to improve the sight, help with issues memories, if she was feeling adventurous perhaps she would even try to prepare one that improved your charm. But no matter where she went she didn't find what she needed. The herbs were too short, too long, too dry, or where picked up without knowing how to. She found a couple of bezoars, but they looked a bit funny, and she was pretty sure they were just rocks picked up in a river. There was only one shop which sell quality ingredients, and they were way overpriced. She couldn't allow to buy even half the things she needed.

Soul sensed her discomfort and nudged her hand with his head, which brought her back to the present. She looked up to Kid watching Soul intently.

"This is Soul, my familiar."

"I see. Nice to meet you, Soul."

Soul looked at him for a moment, before jumping out of her lap and leaving the kitchen, disappearing into the mansion.

"Soul! I'm sorry, he doesn't usually act like that," she apologized with a worried glance after Soul.

"It's ok. I'm well aware of the reputation we necromancers have." Kid took both their cups, now empty and smiled politely, the expression looking natural even though it was surely forced. "Well, let's continue working!"

The sun was already setting when they finished reorganizing the furniture up to Kid's standards and he offered to walk them home.

"Thanks! I'm not too sure I'd would've been able to find the way back on my own," she admitted after making sure that Soul was nearby.

He had spent the whole day as far away from them as possible, which with Soul wasn't too unusual, but he seemed a bit too suspicious of Kid.

Walking slower this time, Maka had time to take in the streets they passed and was happy to realize she recognized some. They walked through one that was close to where she had met BlackStar, and she was pretty sure another one was close to where they went to get the bread every morning for Marie.

"Hmm, interesting." Kid murmured at some point.

"What is it?" She moved her head to where he was looking to: a small empty alley with only a couple trash cans.

"The ghosts. When we passed through here earlier there were two ghosts in this alleway. It seems they are gone once more."

"Oh, was it here?" Maka wasn't able to see any difference between the alley they were looking at and the ones they had passed before, but Kid seemed convinced it was the same one.

"Yes. We should keep moving."

But before they could even take a step one of the trash cans was thrown towards them. Barely able to move out of the way in time, Maka glanced back at it as the can crashed against a wall.

"Well, well, well, look what we have here." Moving her head towards the voice, Maka saw one of the ghosts, the one with long hair, smiling at them.

"You two better give us your money." The smaller ghost appeared on the other side of the street, effectively cutting off their escape route.

"I don't think that's going to happen," growled Kid. Following his lead, Maka stood up, back to back with him. Like hell two ghosts were going to steal the money she had just made.

"That's a shame," the taller one said and with a flick of her wrist the can was flying again towards them. Maka stepped forward, a spell already spilling from her lips. The can crashed into an invisible wall a few meters from them. From her peripheral vision she saw Kid move and a screech. Whatever the other ghost had done, he must had stopped it.

"Ladies, please, I would appreciate if we could leave this incident aside and each of us would part in our merry way," the necromancer said.

"Ladies?" Both ghosts started cackling before the became serious. "You are not getting rid of us that easily."

"As you wish." Maka didn't see what Kid did, but she felt the ground tremble and crack around them. White long limbs emerged from it, skeletons fully closing them in a tight circle which was going to be hard to break. "You shouldn't threaten a necromancer."


	5. Chapter 5

Skeletons crawled out of the cracks between the cobblestones, clattering into each other as they teetered towards the ghosts, gaining surer footing with each step. Each bone looked as if it had been bleached white - so bright that it seemed to illuminate the dark alley. The taller ghost just stood there confidently, her straight spine and folded arms radiating self-assurance. The bottom of Maka's stomach fell away as she glanced back at Kid, worried about how tired he seemed. Was summoning this many skeletons really going to help? Weren't ghosts supposed to be transparent?

He shot her a weak smile and just gestured for the witch to watch.

As one skeleton grabbed the ghost's arm, her expression morphed into one of shock and fear as she jumped back, taking the hand with her as it detached from the skeleton. The girl let out a small shriek of disgust as the younger ghost appeared beside her. "Sis!"

The hand flew away from the older ghost, shooting in a fist towards Kid before he stopped it with a small gesture, the tiny bones falling to the ground in shattered pieces. "Please don't try to beat me at my own game, it's rather sad to watch."

"Come on Liz, let's go," cried the younger ghost, grabbing her horrified sister's hand and pulling her towards the other end of the alley, away from the skeleton army.

"Oh no you don't!" yelled Maka, flinging magic towards them as she muttered a spell under her breath. The ghosts ran into an invisible wall at the other end, glaring at the witch before leaping into the air. As the shot towards the sky, Maka cast another barrier just in time to catch them.

Liz glanced down at them with a sneer, eyes confident and furious. "You realize you're between us and the only exit, right?"

"You realize that the skeletons are in that direction too?" questioned Soul, drawing everyone's gaze to him. His fur bristled as he realized that, but the cat continued to lick his paw as if nothing were going on. "You're clearly grossed out by them, so we're at an impasse."

"Liz, why is the cat talking?" the younger ghost hissed to her sister in confusion, the not-so-quiet whisper audible to both sides.

"I can't believe you know the word impasse," Maka said, looking at Soul with surprise and causing him arch his spine and hiss at her.

"Sheesh Maka, you don't need to be so rude."

The two turned to look at Kid with confusion as he walked past them up to just beneath where the ghosts were hovering, straightening his jacket as if this were a formal convention. "I believe you two would be the ones known as the Thompson Twins, am I correct?"

"And if we were?" asked Liz, floating in front of her sister protectively.

"I have a proposition for you. I would like you two to come work for my father. Or me, more directly."

Maka's jaw dropped open as the two sisters stared at him in shock and bewilderment.

"You want me and Patty to come work for you? Doing what?" Liz demanded, her voice growing high-pitched from the sheer strangeness of the situation.

Kid's expression darkened even more, going from serious to downright angry. "I'm sure we've all seen the results of the inter-species tensions, some of us better than others."

Maka rubbed her arm, the recently healed bruise there a reminder of the attack on the witch and her familiar during their first week at the city. She watched Kid carefully as he continued, remembering his words at Soul's manners at the necromancer's home. "I want to change that. It's not fair, and as the mayor's son, I am actually in the position to be able to do something. However, I need many opinions, for I know the treatment I have received as a necromancer in a high position is most likely nowhere near the things you two have endured."

Liz narrowed her eyes, calculating the necromancer's honesty as she floated down towards the ground, the skeletons long since have collapsed or crawled back under the street. "Patty and I would get food and clothes and a place to stay? And pay?"

"I thought it went without saying."

After a glance at her little sister and a moment or two of thought, the ghost stuck her hand out grimly. "Deal."

Kid shook it solemnly, and didn't flinch when she pulled him closer and hissed, "You better not double cross us," despite how Maka instantly shifted her hands up into a battle-ready position.

"I wouldn't dream of it," he answered sincerely, pulling away when Liz released his hand. He turned to Maka and Soul and asked, "Are you sure you know how to get home from here?"

"Yeah, I think so," Maka replied, relaxing into a normal stand as Soul moved to stand beside her protectively.

~hope you don't mind that i wrote in a bit :$

"We'll be going then," Kid said, nodding goodbye as Liz and Patty floated on either side of him.

"Are you sure you'll be alright?" Maka asked.

"Yeah, they aren't that bad."

Maka and Soul shared a worried look and a shrug, but didn't say anything. If nothing else, Kid knew how to defend himself. Neither of them talked until they have made most of their way back to Stein and Marie's, and it was Maka who broke the silence. "Do you think he really will be okay?"

"I think he knows what he's doing." Soul replied, deciding that sitting on her bag was better than walking on his own.

"Lazy cat. I hope he does. Do you think we should visit him in a couple days to check on him? I mean, those two are ghosts after all. You know how those types are."

"If you want to…"

"Yeah, I do. I think I'll go over on Friday, unless Marie or Stein need help." Soul only replied with a hum from his spot.

"You have been awfully quiet today," Maka said after a while. It was starting to get weird, even for Soul.

"I'm just tired."

"Of what? Watching Kid and I work?"

"Yeah. You both make everything seem really tiresome."

Maka snorted, "Honestly, I swear even watching someone cooking would tire you out."

"If it were you then probably."

"Hey! What do you mean with that?"

"Exactly what I said."

"Don't try to play that with me. Remember I'm the one who feeds you."

"Actually, Marie is the one who had been feeding me lately."

That only made Maka turn an interesting shade of red, sputter even more, and grumble about ungrateful familiars through her teeth all the way home home.


	6. Chapter 6

"Good afternoon my great followers!" The bakery's door opened suddenly and Maka jumped from the stool she was sitting on. After that shout it was no surprise to see BlackStar walking towards her with a big smile on his face, Tsubaki trailing after him.

"Hello Maka, how are you?" she greeted.

Maka sat a bit straighter on the stool. "I'm good thanks. What brings you both here?" She followed BlackStar with her eyes as he tried to greet Soul, who had climbed into the highest shelf to get away from all the ruckus.

"Don't even think about it. There's food on there and Ms. Marie can't sell it if you step on it," warned Tsubaki. To Maka's surprise, BlackStar immediately put his foot that previously was threatening to step right into Marie's cupcakes back to the ground, even if he still tried to get Soul's attention.

"Sorry," Tsubaki said to Maka. "How have you two been?"

"Have someone else tried to fight you? I'll kick anyone who messes with my followers!" BlackStar proclaimed, barrelling his way back in front of Maka.

"Uh, no. We've been fine, thanks. I mean, we've been into a fight, but I think everything's fine now? Soul, we still have to check on Kid." The aforementioned cat simply turned around, basking in the sunlight and ignoring everyone in the room. "Lazy bum," grumbled Maka in response.

"A fight? Kid? Who did you fight? You are my followers, I can't allow people attacking you like that!"

"It's ok, really, we weren't alone, and our… friend helped and ended up taking both girls with him."

"Woah! Who is he? I have to find him and fight with him! Then we'll see who is the supreme god!" BlackStar bounced around, eyes wide and a huge grin on. At that Maka stood up from her stool.

"No! He's a client! Besides you can't just go around fighting people!"

"Of course I can! I'm a god!" He started laughing and Maka turned to look at Tsubaki, looking for some help.

"It's fine," she whispered. "He won't harm anyone, and I'll make sure he won't cause you and Soul trouble."

"Thank you," Maka replied before running over to where BlackStar was to stop him from trying to get into the oven in the back.

It was an interesting evening, Maka would say to anyone who asked, and by interesting she meant tiresome. Even with Tsubaki helping maintain BlackStar under control the boy was a never-ending source of mischief and trouble. Three hours later, with the beginning of a headache forming and a grin on her face, she shut the door after them, containing nervous laughter.

"That didn't go too bad." She mentioned to Soul, who had opted to mostly watch from afar and only butt in from time to time.

"Admit it: you had a blast." Her mouth twitched and repressed a smile.

"It wasn't what I expected." She returned the stool she had been sitting on before the visit to its place and completely missed the look Soul sent her. "By the way, we should visit Kid and see how he's been doing with the two ghosts."

Before Soul could reply the door was opened a Maria bursted in. "Hello," she sing songed making her way to the back of the bakery.

"Marie. Let me help you with those!" Maka said, running after her and taking a couple of the bags the woman was carrying.

"Thank you, Maka." Leaving the groceries on the big table where the goods were kneaded, Marie turned back to her. "You were saying something of visiting Kid? Why don't you go now? I'm here, so I can take care of the shop."

"Are you sure?"

"I've been taking care of this establishment long before you and Soul appeared around here. Now shoo! Go check on that boy and finish your job," Marie said, laughing.

"Okay!" With a smile, Maka grabbed her bag from the hanger and ran out of the bakery, only pausing a second for Soul to hop on.

"Can you remember how to get there?" Soul teased from the bag as Maka raced to the mansion.

"Of course I do," she answered, sticking out her tongue in his direction. Truth be told, Maka wasn't too sure of the path, but she would make do to avoid the teasing from her familiar.

Somehow, even with the twisting streets looking all the same and a couple sarcastic comments from Soul, they made it to the ornamented fence of Kid's house.

Adjusting her bag as Soul moved deeper inside, Maka rung the bell and waited until she saw the necromancer appear. "Kid! How are you?"

"Maka. Soul. I've been good, thanks. How about you two?" Kid opened the fence and led the way in the house.

"We're fine, as well. Sorry we couldn't make it earlier to finish the job, I had to watch the shop while Marie ran on some errands." Leaving her bag in the coat hanger, Maka followed Kid after making sure Soul got out of it. Still, the cat kept his distance from them, despite the questioning looks Maka shot him.

To her surprise, in the living room were the ghosts that had attacked them. The smaller laid on the floor, kicking her legs in the air while she drew something, and the taller one stood next to the couch, but not sitting on it, as she watched the other one. As soon as they entered, however, she turned to them.

"Oh. Hi," greeted Maka.

"Maka, Soul, I don't think you have been introduced. These are Liz and Patty, they are staying here for the moment."

The taller one, that Maka guessed was Liz, nodded her head in their direction recognition shining in her eyes. "Liz, Patty, as I told you Soul and Maka are coming over to help me make this place presentable. We can continue with the room we didn't finish the other day?" he added, turning to look at the witch and her cat.

"Sounds good to me," Maka answered, mentally preparing herself for the exhausting work she knew was ahead - physically, and emotionally.

….

The sofa had never looked more inviting than after finishing making the second floor up to Kid's standards.

"Do you want some tea?" asked Kid with a sympathetic smile.

"Yes please!"

"You two?" he asked, to the sisters' nods. "Soul?" The cat simply curled on himself, doing a great job of appearing to be just a ball of fur.

With Kid busy in the kitchen, Maka approached her partner. "Hey, Soul, are you ok?"

"Yeah, just feeling a bit ill." He didn't move from his position.

"Do you want to leave so we can go to the vet? You haven't eaten anything you weren't supposed to, right?"

"That was one time and it hasn't happened since!" At least now he looked at her, even if it was only with one eye. "It's ok Maka, I'll be fine if I just stay over here."

Unsatisfied with his reply but unsure of what else to do, Maka scratched him behind the ears before returning to her seat. As the day wore on, Soul seemed to get grumpier and grumpier, to the point that on the way home Maka was surprised they weren't accompanied by thunderclouds from his bad mood.

"What's it about Kid that gets you riled up so much?" she asked worriedly, gently stroking Soul under his chin.

Soul muttered around the purrs, "S' nothin', don' worr' 'bout it, Makaaaaaa."

Needless to say, he really loved getting under-the-chin scratches.

….

Liquid gold spilled through the bakery's windows, spotlighting the floating dust motes and flying flour grains. Maka struggled not to fall asleep on the counter, her arms never seeming like a more comfortable pillow than on days like these. The bell above the door jingled softly, pulling out a quiet sigh from Maka, "I'll be with you in a moment."

"Don't worry about it, Maka. I'm actually here to see Marie, is she here?"

The witch nearly fell out of her chair with shock. "Tsubaki?" she gasped in surprise, looking around frantically for BlackStar before realizing she had never had to do that before. "Where's-"

"Home, sleeping. BlackStar's not dead or hurt, promise," the tall, willowy girl assured her, smiling at Maka's confusion.

"Um, ok," Maka stuttered as she righted the high stool. "Marie's in the back, do you want me to show you the way?"

"No, I know where it is. Thank you though!" Tsubaki assured her, slipping away around the corner gracefully.

Maka exchanged stares with Soul for a moment before climbing back up onto the stool. "Do we just ignore that?"

"Let's."

Having Tsubaki here without BlackStar as well was very strange, to say the least, but when she finished her conversation with Marie, the girl seemed as optimistic and happy as ever. Maka was tempted to ask what they had discussed, but it seemed like something she might be happier not knowing, if the way Marie shook her head at the witch out of Tsubaki's sight was any indication.

"Tsubaki, Maka, how about you two show those ghost girls around town a bit more? Patty and Liz were their names, right?" Marie suggested kindly. "They can't be too familiar with the area right?"

"I'm not really sure if that's the best idea-" Maka mumbled. How was she going to explain the uneasiness pooling in the pit of her stomach at the very thought of the ghost girls, or anyone who wasn't a witch, really? Even BlackStar had made her uncomfortable at first, though with his ridiculous antics, it was hard to feel nervous around him for long.

Tsubaki, seeming not to have heard Maka, said, "That sounds fun! What do you think Maka?"

At the innocent girl's open optimism, Maka couldn't say no. "Sure-"

"Tsubaki!"

Maka's shoulders instantly sagged at the thought of having to manage BlackStar some more. He was fun, certainly, but the boy could get tiring after a while.

BlackStar barreled into the bakery, everything about him blazing with energy as he bounced around. "Hey Tsubaki! When did you get here? What do you want to do today?"

"Actually, I'm having a girl's day with Maka, Patty, and Liz," she answered, pulling Maka along after her out of the bakery. "See you later BlackStar!"

The witch only got a glimpse of Soul's and BlackStar's dumbstruck gazes before she was dragged away. _So Tsubaki had picked up a couple habits from BlackStar after all._

At Kid's house Tsubaki somehow convinced Liz and Patty to spend time in town with her and Maka. Kid looked as confused as Soul and BlackStar had, and Maka hurriedly told him to join the werewolf and cat before getting dragged away by the Japanese girl.

….

Maka's jaw dropped when she saw BlackStar on the roof of the mayor's house, crowing about his greatness or some such thing as usual. Tsubaki didn't even bother to act surprised and jumped straight to scolding as she easily scaled the building after BlackStar. The witch watched with a mix of amazement and embarrassment-by-association as Tsubaki lectured the werewolf about his actions, their voices and words snatched away by the winds.

"Why did I ever doubt he'd actually do it?"

She turned at the familiar dry voice and yelped at the sight of Soul sitting next to Kid's feet and talking with him. When Kid said something and Soul outright snickered, Maka threw her hands into the air and yelled at nobody in particular, "What the heck is going on?"

"Hey Maka," Soul called, quickly running up to her with a cheeky grin.

"What's going on?"

"BlackStar's an idiot."

"You were egging him on," supplied Kid helpfully, watching with amusement as Soul bristled indignantly while Maka's expression turned livid.

"Are you going to tell me it wasn't hilarious?"

"No, but now we have to deal with this mess."

"Nagger."

"You're only taking that stance because you're not going to have to explain this to my father."

"Soul, what did you do?" Maka hissed angrily, seeming to tower over the cat as she glared at him, hands on her hips.

As the two went back and forth, Tsubaki slowly forced BlackStar to come down and Kid dispersed the crowd that had formed, while Liz and Patty watched BlackStar with amusement. When Maka and Soul finally got around to trudging home, both were exhausted, but happy.

"Soul?"

"Hm?"

"I think I like it here."

"Do you admit you had fun?"

"If you acknowledge Kid's your friend."

With a chuckle, Soul burrowed deeper into the other pillow, his warm presence comforting as always.


	7. Chapter 7

"Come on Soul, let's go." The cat looked up from his pile of cloth by the window, the early afternoon sunshine making his white fur glow. Ruby eyes pierced Maka as he glanced at her.

"Where?"

"Kid's house. We said we'd go back and check that those ghosts didn't mug him," Maka explained, tapping her foot impatiently as Soul curled up again. "Come on, you can nap in my bag on the way if you're that tired."

"You can go, I'm not interested."

"Soul," Maka started, gritting her teeth in annoyance, "You're not getting out of this one, not after you were so rude to him last time."

"When was I rude?" squawked Soul, glaring at Maka.

"You just walked away like you were too good for us!"

"No I didn't!"

Maka rolled her eyes, folding her arms over her chest angrily. "Why are you so suspicious of him?" Kid hasn't done anything."

"You don't know him, Maka."

"And you do?"

Soul clamped his mouth shut and turned away from Maka so he was glaring out the window. The witch didn't need to touch him to know that his muscles were probably more tightly wound than a spring.

Suddenly, Soul sprang to his feet and leapt onto Maka's bag, a much smaller non-traveling one. "Come on, let's go," he sighed, settling down amidst the sky blue cloth. When Maka didn't immediately move, frozen with surprise and suspicion, he opened one eye and grunted, "What, don't want to go anymore?"

"No, let's go," Maka answered hurriedly, unwilling to let this strange opportunity pass. "Though I will admit I'm a bit worried about why you suddenly changed your mind," she muttered.

Soul blinked lazily and drawled, "Fancy house means fancy fish."

Maka rolled her eyes but made no comment as she left the apartment, calling goodbye to Marie on the way.

Golden light spilled from the sun as they walked, leaves dappling the ground in shadow patterns. Each tree was bathed n a different shade of crimson, fiery orange, or yellow, even a couple splashes of vivid green or warm brown making an appearance. Maka breathed in heavily, enjoying her ability to just take a walk for once and take in the fresh air instead of rushing to her next job. "See, Soul? Isn't it nice out today?"

"I can appreciate that from my cushion, I'm just here for the fish," he meowed, tail curling over his nose.

"Gluttonous, lazy bum," grumbled Maka, frowning at the cat. Sure, Soul was not the most optimistic and generally a bit cranky, but this was strange even for him. Maka had never really seen him put in this amount of effort to try and avoid someone, much less someone they had barely met and showed no signs of being bad.

"Hey! Maka!" Maka turned at the loud, boisterous voice, gaze searching the street for anyone familiar. She almost sighed when blue hair came into view, but couldn't really fight the smile at Star and Tsu's appearance.

"Hi, how are you two?"

After rolling her eyes a bit at Star's typically boisterous answer, Maka couldn't help the grin that fought its way to her face as the quartet made its way to Kid's place. She tried to ignore the way that Soul grew more and more sullen the closer they got, knowing that she wouldn't be able to get an answer out of him. While it was true that necromancers were very dangerous and generally… not very stable, to put it gently, Kid had been nothing but kind, so much so that Maka was questioning the stereotype every time she saw him. When they got to the mansion, the witch smiled politely at Liz and Patty as Kid welcomed them in.

"How about some refreshments before we go down to the beach?" he offered, setting out some cups for tea. "Oh, Soul?" The cat flinched against Maka's ankle, but turned towards Kid warily. "I've got some fish in the kitchen, and since I'm not very sure what the names are, do you mind coming with me so I can get out the kind you like?"

Maka let out a breath of relief as Soul padded over to Kid despite his obvious reluctance, letting the necromancer lead the way. As they disappeared from sight, she tuned in more closely to the group's conversation, which currently consisted of a retelling of Star's latest antics. It was interesting to see how differently the sisters reacted - Patty laughed with glee at the tale while Liz just rolled her eyes as Tsubaki blushed from embarrassment.

When Kid and Soul came back, Maka grinned at the pair brightly, noting with relief that her familiar finally seemed to have relaxed. Kid returned the smile and waved his arm as he led everyone to the backyard, showing everyone the path down to the river. The group mingled around the cold water, dipping their feet into the icy depths to combat the sticky summer heat. At first, Soul tended to stay on the riverbank, as fearful of water as a normal cat. That is, until Star splashed him. Then it was war between the furry pair.

As the sun started to slip below the mountains, the remainder of the group clambered out of the water and started collecting firewood. Maka cut up the largest branches with her magic while the others collected kindling and smaller twigs, the ghost sisters arranging everything in a pit Star had dug out with their telekinesis powers. Before long, they were all sitting around a raging bonfire, passing around a large soda bottle dug up from the depths of Kid's kitchen. Maka gripped the bottle tightly, careful not to let it slip from her tired hands as she moved to sit between Tsubaki and Kid. Soul immediately leapt onto her lap, curling up with his back brushing against Maka's hand, earning a fond smile. She listened as the other joked around and laughed, Patty's and BlackStar's bright and energetic personalities making the two a terror for Liz to keep somewhat calm.

"So why did you guys come here anyway?" Liz asked Maka across the fire, the dancing flames illuminating her form eerily. The ghost didn't cast a shadow, yet she was just translucent enough for Maka to be able to see her clearly most of the time. With the fire so close, the witch could barely see Liz at all anymore.

Leaning back, Maka stretched her back, sore from sitting hunched forward for so long. "It's a ritual kind of thing. When a witch turns fourteen, she leaves home for a year, or even longer if it goes well, to travel and find a new home. It's meant to help us practice our craft and such."

"You only learn to fly when you jump off a cliff, after all," Tsubaki commented as she sipped the pink soda, gaze questioning.

"That's witches in a nutshell," muttered Soul, drawing raised eyebrows from the Thompsons.

"It can talk?"

"Of course I can talk!" he hissed indignantly, bristling at them. "And I'm not an it!"

Maka gently held him back as Liz raised her hands defensively, apologizing. "Sorry, man. We just thought you were a regular cat."

"Soul's my familiar. Why would I drag a regular cat all the way across Europe with me?" Maka replied, gently stroking the top of Soul's head to calm him down. "Witches and their familiars make magical contracts."

"Something like 'A fish for every three hours of annoyed grumbling?'" questioned Kid, hiding a smirk as he glanced at Soul.

Maka stared at him with wide-eyes, expression growing annoyed until she heard Soul's laughter and turned to him in shock. The cat's tail waved through the air as he answered snarkily, "As if. This witch is so stingy she'd never give me a whole fish, except if it was a minnow."

"There is no way you're gonna convince them that I underfeed you considering how pudgy you are," she retorted as the others roared with laughter. "Besides, you act like you actually fulfill you part of the bargain."

"The way you explained it, all I had to do was just be there. As you frequently complain, I do my job too well."

Maka shook her head with disappointment as Tsubaki patted her shoulder sympathetically, used to the frustrations of dealing with an unruly, childish partner. "Why Germany, Maka?" Tsubaki asked, trying to steer the conversation into milder waters. "You said you were from Ireland, I believe?"

"She's a thrill seeker. Over there, witches think that Germany's dangerous, so naturally she had to drag me across an ocean to stay here."

"It's a channel Soul, not an ocean. No one can fly across an ocean on a broomstick."

"Knowing you, I'll have to try someday."

"Soul!"

Shaking her head at the pair, Tsubaki reiterated the question at the rest of the group, drawing BlackStar's and Patty's attention properly for the first time. Kid was the first to answer, probably because he had the simplest reply. "My father has been mayor here for a very long time and I was born here. There's no real story here, unlike Maka's."

"My old pack couldn't properly understand my true godliness, so I decided to grace all of you with my marvelous presence!" yelled BlackStar brightly, a cheeky smile bursting out across his face as he leapt onto the top of the log he was sitting on. With a grin, Patty stood up and laughed as he fell over when the large branch began rolling at the disappearance of her weight. Shaking her head, Tsubaki helped him up, not that BlackStar really needed it, and forced him to sit down and stay quiet while the others shared their stories.

"Patty and I stowed away on a ferry when we were leaving Finland," Liz explained, shrugging at the other's curious gazes. "It happened to stop at Germany and we ended up here."

"Have you been in this town long?" questioned Kid, adding on at her wary glance, "No need to answer if you don't want to."

"It's fine. No, not at all. Only got here a couple weeks ago."

"Why were you leaving Finland?" asked Maka tentatively, trying not to scare the ghost off.

"Felt like a change of scenery," she replied smoothly, the simple words hiding darker secrets if the way her gaze grew somber at the answer was any indication. "It seems nicer here. Warmer, if nothing else. And there's much less competition between species."

Maka raised her eyebrow when Kid answered, "From what I've heard, Germany's got more of a mix of cultures, so there's less animosity than there might be in places where there's really only one or two main species and there's no group to intermediate."

"It's better than France, that's for sure. Back there it's pretty much full on war between the witches and the werewolves," Star added, serious for once. "Seems like witches in most places are pretty snobby though, regardless of who they're fighting with."

Maka's face burned as she shrank into herself, praying nobody remember just what she was and she remained unnoticed.

"We don't really have witches in Japan - there are shamans and priests, but nothing that's socially equivalent," sighed Tsubaki, bringing everyone's attention to her. "It's mostly just aristocracy against the poor."

"Mind if I ask how you fit in?"

"My family has guarded kirin, a type of creature, for generations, so we get some importance but not a lot. I left Japan because I wanted more experiences, and my older brother's inheriting the head position anyway, so I'm not really needed."

As Tsubaki went on to explain the logistics of Japan's society and what kirin were, Maka struggled to pay attention. The nausea rolling around in her stomach coiled and twisted like a pit of vipers - were witches really regarded so badly all over Europe? Even before the fights in Germany, which Maka had expected, to some extent, there had always been the looks in the streets outside of her village. Whenever Maka traveled with her mother outside of their area, people always gave them frigid glances at the sight of their broomsticks or potions and that treatment hadn't really improved outside of Ireland. Mother had always said they were jealous or pretended it didn't exist, but that didn't seem to be the case. Kami had assured Maka that witches were the only sane ones… but as Maka looked around the circle, at her friends, she couldn't really see anything different.

Maka was jolted out of her thoughts when she felt Soul's head pushing against her palm, tail tapping lightly on her wrist in a silent question. _Are you okay?_

The witch gently stroked his back in reply, smiling down at him. _Yeah. Tell you later._

The chatter slowly faded away as the fire wound down into a pile of brightly glowing embers, the heat warming Maka to the bone as she shifted a touch closer. "You know, I've always wondered what it's like to be surrounded by friends and not have to watch my back all the time."

Maka turned to Star, somewhat surprised by the quiet words. "Do you think you know now?"

"Yeah, I'd say I do. Or, as much as I would like to. Can't let life get too boring, am I right Maka?"

"Boring? Around you? Never."

Laughing lightly, Maka leaned back to stare up at the twinkling stars sprinkled across the midnight satin sky, heat from the low-burning flames bathing her skin and seeping into her very bones. The group lapsed into a friendly, comfortable silence, born of tiredness of both the emotional and physical variety. Maka might have fallen asleep if Soul didn't gently nudge her calf, murmuring that they should probably go now if she didn't want to get lost on the way home due to a lack of alertness. After quiet farewells, Maka waved goodbye to the others as she climbed up the hill to Kid's house, not trusting her navigating skills in the dark by the river.

As they walked towards the bakery, the hazy lights from the street lamps illuminating the worn cobblestones, Maka shivered when a chill raced up her spine from the stiff breeze, shaking her head at Soul's questioning look. Nothing to worry about, just the cold.

They continued walking in companionable silence, though Maka's thoughts ran themselves in circles, crashing into the side of her had and confusing as she tried to puzzle them all out. Snatches of conversation floated through Maka's thoughts, sending any kind of coherent conclusion spinning out of her reach. The witch was so far gone into her thoughts she didn't notice the smell of ozone permeating the air until Soul's claws dug into her shoulder.

Her head snapped up, and one glance at the muttering witch across the street had her diving sideways. As she tumbled across the cobblestones, Maka saw a flash of searing blue and white light. A half-second later, an explosion blasted her ears and shards of stone and wood stung her skin.

When the rain of debris ended, Maka's head shot up as she looked around worriedly. "Soul? Soul! Where are you?" she cried frantically, standing up as best she could to search the ground. At the feeling of warm, rumbling fur brushing her neck, Maka realized that she must've been deafened in the blast.

"I'm fine, Soul, but I can't hear you. Are you alright?"

Paws pushed against Maka's shoulder as Soul leapt to the ground, nodding so she could understand. Maka carefully looked for the witch, wary of the ringing pain in her head. The woman was clearly more tired than before, but she moved to make more symbols with her hands. Maka, however, was quicker. Shouting out a spell, she pressed her hands to the ground and let the power surge forward.

The street ruptured, a fracture stretching across its width towards the other witch. She leapt out of the way easily, far more nimble than Maka had been, but at least her spell was disrupted. Wiping away blood trickling from her nose, Maka started to mutter under her breath. A ball of energy started to form, sending her hair flying and lighting up the entire street. Blinking against the searing light, Maka shrieked and stumbled back as she realized how close the crazy witch was.

The witch swung her sword.

Maka felt nothing.

The dark skies above opened and rained scarlet.


	8. Chapter 8

Maka watched numbly as the boy in front of her collapsed backwards, taking her down with him. Stark white hair brushed her face as blood splattered across the cobblestones. "Who-Who are you?" she gasped.

As the witch advanced towards them, sword at ready, Maka scrambled up shakily, magic sputtering out of her hands to swirl around them protectively, sparkingly lazily as she tried to wrest it into something useful. The witch swung her blade, despite being too far away for it to connect. The air shimmered red and rippled towards Maka, her hazy magic rising to try to absorb it.

Suddenly, the ground started shaking and a wall of stone erupted in front of the pair, cracking under the brunt of the witch's magic. She whirled around to glare at Maka's savior, the movement copied by the younger witch when Maka realized what had happened. To her shock, Stein stood at the end of the street, hands pressed to the ground as he coldly glared at the attacker. The witch immediately turned her wrath on him, sending five waves of magic at the alchemist.

A cry ripped itself from Maka's throat as she saw Stein clap his hands together and nothing happened, thinking she was about to see him burned alive. Instead, the very air seemed to solidify into an invisible shield, for the magic rammed into it with thunderous crash, sloughing off the barrier like water. The cobblestones sizzled away from where the magic touched it, steam swirling in the chilly night wind.

She turned back to the boy and gripped him under the shoulders, straining to drag him away from the witch before her attention returned to them. Ignoring the way his face twisted and the blood spilling onto the road, the witch pulled him into a side alley and pulled off her coat. Wincing at the sheer amount of scarlet blood everywhere, Maka pressed the cloth against the cut. With a growl of frustration, she covered him with her coat, pulling it tight over his chest to try and keep the blood in.

Maka moved to the edge of the alley as there didn't seem to be anything else she could do for the boy, and she would be in a better position to help knowing what was going on, biting her lip with worry when she saw the brutality of the battle. Stein had transmuted spikes from the ground and walls, the stone and iron points shooting towards the blonde witch. She dodged, barely, leaping into the air, seeming to hang suspended for a moment in front of the moon before falling back down to Earth. The witch whipped her arm out, drawing Maka's attention to her tattoos. Black spots in the overall form of a snake twisted around her bicep, stretching down to the underside of her forearm. They lifted off her skin, sliding down and dripping off her wrist until all the spots were coiled on the ground languidly. Sparks flew from Stein's hands as he summoned more points from the ground in an attempt to spear it.

The snake was lightning fast and slinked towards the doctor between the rising spikes. As it leapt towards him, he pulled back, fingers grazing the lamppost beside him and sending it crashing down as a wickedly sharp sword appeared in Stein's hands. With a desperate swing of a former expert, Stein managed to nick the snake, earning a furious hiss and an indignant, pained shout from the witch.

The snake coiled around itself, seeming to grow with rage before lunging at Stein. He swung again, slicing it in half. Strangely, the witch grinned when black ink rained down around Stein, even as tears of pain soaked her collar. After a second, Stein moaned in agony, scrambling to take off his poisoned lab coat, even though acidic black ink had already eaten through it.

Maka's eyes widened when she saw a black haze taking over his eyes, a stark contrast to Stein's pale skin. As the snake witch smirked at him, Maka tried to summon her magic again, biting down a groan when she saw it only sputter weakly around her fingers.

Glancing back at the boy on the ground, Maka lunged at the witch as she drew closer. They tumbled onto the cobblestones, the older woman's palms sparking with electricity. Maka scrambled back, throwing her hand out, fingers splayed, magic shooting towards the other witch and stunning her with its brightness for a moment.

Stein took the opportunity and stone coils reached up from the ground like snakes, coiling around the witch so tightly she couldn't budge an inch. Stein stuffed a wad of cloth from his pocket in her mouth as he passed her, muffling her incantation. After gently pulling Maka to her feet, the alchemist rushed towards the alley, the girl right on his heels.

Lifting up Maka's jacket, Stein examined the wound clinically, brow wrinkling almost instantly. Maka's stomach churned as the alchemist picked him up and moved back into the dimly lit street, ignoring the widening ruptures in the ground that hadn't been there before. Bone hands reached out of them, pulling skeletons up into the street after them. "Those are Lord Death's men, don't worry about it," he tossed over his shoulder. Maka's eyes widened at the blood soaking Stein's shirt as he ran.

Time passed slowly, the winding streets seemingly endless until suddenly, Stein was shouldering open the back door to the bakery, disappearing into the shadows swathing the basement stairs. As Marie's soul-warming hug squeezed Maka's bones, she continued to stare after Stein, the wounded boy's grimace replaying itself in her mind again and again. Marie led Maka over to a chair by the table, supporting the witch as her feet stumbling over nothing, bowls set up for breakfast like normal, like nothing had happened, like the sky hadn't been painted red that night.

One thought amidst the hurricane in her head stuck out in the forefront, sending tears leaking from her eyes as Maka began to gasp and sob into Marie's ever tightening embrace, its implications more painful than any bruise.

Soul was gone.


	9. Chapter 9

Bright light stung Soul's eyes as he tried to pry them open, squinting against the harsh whiteness of everything. "Am I dead?" he rasped, groaning at the headache pounding his brain.

"Strangely enough, no," a cheerful voice answered, a dryness to it that reeked of familiarity.

"Wes?" gasped Soul, or as close to gasping as he could with the stickiness in his mouth. The boy struggled to open his eyes more clearly, straining against the light to see if the voice belonged to who he thought it did.

"The one and only little brother," Wes affirmed, smirking at Soul's complete and utter shock. His expression melted into concern as he noticed Soul's brow furrowing from effort. "It's alright, close your eyes, we don't mind."

Reluctantly doing as Wes suggested, Soul asked, "We?"

"You absolutely stupid idiot," whispered Maka, tears clearly choking her. "Why on earth did you think that was a good idea?"

Soul's eyes flew open as he sat up, turning to the other side before yelping in pain, sinking back down to the pillow with a loud groan. "Maka?"

"Lie down you idiot, you're only going to hurt yourself more and mess up Dr. Stein's stitching," Maka scolded, putting a hand on his uninjured shoulder to make sure he stayed down.

"You let that freak near me?" exclaimed Soul with alarm, eyes wide with horror. "And why is he here?" the boy demanded, glancing at Wes and ignoring his injured expression.

"I made sure he didn't remove any organs," she assured him, before her expression morphed into one of fury. "And he's your brother! We had to call someone, and Kid wouldn't give me your parents."

"So this is all his fault!"

"Soul! It looked like you were going to die," Maka yelled, voice cracking from pain.

Closing his eyes, Soul sighed as he leaned into her touch. "I'm not sorry." A bit of tension left his body as he heard Wes's chair scrape back and the door squeak open before clicking shut.

"I didn't think you would be, but you didn't have to," she whispered, tears strangling her voice.

Soul searched for words to describe how there was no universe in which he could not have taken the hit.

It just wasn't an option.

Maka had to stay safe. It was as true as he was real.

"I did, Maka. You're my witch."

It wasn't what he meant, not really, but the words wouldn't come out.

Thankfully, she seemed to realize what Soul wanted to say but couldn't as a small smile graced her face. Wiping away her tears, Maka furrowed her brow.

"When were you planning on telling me you're a werecat anyway?"

Soul started to shrug, wincing with pain at the movement and flinching internally as Maka's eyes started to tear up again. "Is it that important?"

"That you're a werecat? Yep. I mean, I thought we were close enough that…" Maka trailed off, starting to blush a bit.

"Er… ah…" Soul sighed and spat it out. "I wanted to leave that part of my life behind, so I didn't want to tell anyone." At Maka's crestfallen expression, he quickly added, "Not that you're 'anyone'! I just… Well, at first you were? When I just met you? And then you never really asked even when we did know each other well enough that I would've told you so I forgot…"

"It's not something I knew I had to ask!"

"It's still me either way, isn't it?"

Rolling her eyes, Maka swatted Soul upside the head. "Wes mentioned something like that – for you guys it doesn't really matter."

At the reminder of his brother, Soul groaned loudly.

"I hear groaning, was I brought up?" questioned Wes through the door, knocking as he opened it to peek in with a sly smile on his face.

"Get out of my room!" Soul barked, starting to reach for a pillow to throw at Wes before hissing with pain at the movement.

"Calm down!" ordered Maka, pushing him into lying down.

"Don't worry, I'm not dragging you back to Mom and Pops," Wes assured his little brother, shocking him into silence. Steamrolling ahead while Soul was quiet, he explained, "You're clearly much happier here, so I don't see why I should force you home."

"But I know they looked, I read about it…" Soul's voice trailed off as he seemed to realize something, "Oh, so they don't care anymore?"

"Nah, they care. But I'll convince 'em it's more trouble than it's worth, especially since you've got a witch's protection."

"P-protection?" sputtered Soul, earning a giggle from Maka. "I don't need to be protected!"

"Of course not, I have no idea how the thought ever came into my head," his brother agreed earnestly, a mischievous light dancing in his eyes.

"You-" Soul started to yell before Maka's hand clapped over his mouth.

"No swearing, Soul!"

Laughing, Wes opened the door and tossed over his shoulder as he left, "You two seem busy, so I'm just going to wait in the hall. Please call once you have finished and tell me when the wedding is so I can organize my agenda."

Soul's very profuse swearing could be heard all across the city while Maka roared with laughter. Many hands were clapped over children's ears that day.


End file.
